How To Keep Fit While Getting Older

A Little Is Better Than Nothing

When we think of old people, often a typical image comes to our mind: a bold man or a white-haired woman, skinny and full of wrinkles, who has trouble walking, who needs a stick or walker, and is unable to carry shopping bags home. Will all of us eventually arrive at this stage?

Mark Tarnopolsky from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada conducted a study with mice in which some of them exercised running in a wheel, while others did not. The latter showed clear signs of ageing, whilst the former maintained their muscle and brain mass and were a lot fitter altogether. This was the case even though the mice had a genetic mutation that leads to early ageing. The researcher sees the reason for this in cellular mechanisms.

This study is in line with other research indicating that exercising really contributes to remaining physically and mentally fit during ageing. When asked how much exercise was necessary, Dr. Tarnopolsky replied: “Anything is better than nothing.” That is good news. We do not have to exercise a couple of hours every week. Even taking the stairs instead of the lift or riding our bike instead of our car when we go to work can be beneficial. Anything is better than nothing.

About the Author

Dr Katharina Lochner is the former research director for the cut-e Group which was acquired by Aon in 2017. Katharina is now a researcher and lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Europe in Iserlohn, Germany. In her role at cut-e, she applied the research in organizational and work psychology to real-world assessment practice. She has a strong expertise in the construction and evaluation of online psychometric tools.